To Covet
by kcscooter
Summary: While Akito is forced to live out a life that is fake, Yuki is forced to live in fear of his god. Their love is strained, their bond is fragile. Akito has finally decided how to make their lives right again, but it might cost Yuki everything.


**Title**: To Covet

**Pairing**: Akito/Yuki

**Rating**: M for violence and suggestive themes

**A/N**: Hi guys! ^_^ It's been awhile since I published anything, and I apologize. My life is finally back in order which means I can start writing again! I'm very excited. I hope you like this story!

**Story Disclaime**r: The characters of Fruits Basket are not mine, but I take credit for this plot.

**Akito Disclaimer**: While I normally don't write Akito as female, that seemed to fit the story better. Hope that's okay!

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_To Covet_

Staring at the smooth, marble tile underneath his cheek, Yuki tried to imagine something softer. His protruding hip was ground uncomfortably into the hard surface, and the cool temperature did nothing to sooth his aching muscles.

Perhaps his garden...

If he shut his eyes, Yuki could almost imagine he was instead lying on a soft bed of grass with a small ladybug tickling his nose instead of a stray black hair his god had torn out of her head just a few hours before. The boy was probably covered in those inky wisps, but he again tried to think of their touch as that of a butterfly or curious ant. The coldness of the floor beneath him was caused by the shade of a huge apple tree he had brought up from infancy, its branches lovingly shielding him from the harsh sun.

There was no blackness, no fear. Just green grass, brightly colored bugs, and rich warm apples. The thought made Yuki's stomach growl in protest, and the boy swallowed the rush of saliva that filled his mouth.

It would do no good to sully his god's floor with drool. He had already covered it with enough filth just by resting his aching body.

Finally coming out of his trance, Yuki once again glanced around at the hovel Akito had created just with him in mind. Unlike the cat's final resting place, there were no barred windows to let in a bit of sun and wind. Akito had purposefully cut off almost all of the light in the room. There was only a tiny box window at the top of the thick, ominous door that faced west. Akito thought about its construction long and hard, knowing that with a tiny, west-facing window, the room would only catch a few rays of the dark, setting sun. There was no warmth to reach Yuki, only the promise of a long, cold night.

Again.

Yuki raised his head a few inches to bring some feeling back into his now numb cheek. He had almost forgotten how icy and unyielding marble could be. Somehow Akito had managed to have the room covered in the shiny rock - the walls, floor, even the ceiling. There was no soft corner, no rounded edge, to give the boy a comfortable rest even for a moment.

Only one other thing was in the room. A brass chamber pot spray painted black.

He tried to remember how many days had passed since he had been locked in here this time. Akito normally only kept him for a long weekend. It wasn't enough to rouse suspicion, but it was long enough for Akito to get out her pent-up frustration. Yuki could remember two sunsets including this one, so that meant he had one more evening to endure her torture. Against his body's protest, he sat up slowly and sighed.

Yuki's head jerked up as he heard a key being inserted into the lock. Only two people had a key - Akito and Kureno.

Kureno would come once during his three-day stay to bring some water and possibly a piece of toast or fruit of some kind. Most times it was an orange; Akito liked Yuki smelling tangy and sweet. It covered up the smell of his unwashed body and the filth of this hovel.

The boy prayed to any divine entity that was listening for it to be the god's silent butler instead of the god herself. Yuki needed something on his stomach before he would be able to face her again.

Some Power that _Must_ Be had to have listened to Yuki, for once, because it really was Kureno who shouldered the door open. The man was carrying a small black tray that held a single piece of bread and an orange, already peeled and sliced. Akito wouldn't have thought of such a thing, so Yuki relaxed a bit at the small act of kindness Kureno showed.

God knows Yuki didn't deserve it.

Kureno nodded to Yuki, but didn't speak. It was an order from Akito that the man had never broken in all of his years of service. No one spoke to Yuki while he was confined to his room. As he set the tray down at Yuki's feet, his dark brown eyes slowly trailed over the boy's naked form. There wasn't a section of his body that wasn't covered in cuts, bruises, or dirt. Yuki would be able to hide the marks until they healed with his normal long-sleeved clothing, but for the moment he was laid bare to the older man's scrutiny. He didn't look at Yuki with disgust, though. Kureno merely inspected the boy to make sure he would live out his stay once more.

Yuki appreciated the thought.

His small, ashen face was caught in the man's grip for a moment as Kureno turned it from side to side and checked the size of his pupils. One time Akito had kicked him too hard in the temple and his pupils had grown so wide that no color other than black could be seen. From Kureno's unchanging expression, Yuki guessed that he wasn't about to die.

Kureno nodded again and smoothed a finger comfortingly across Yuki's jaw before standing up. The man turned toward the door and paused for a brief moment, making an elegant and respectful bow.

The boy's eyes widened a bit, noticing Akito standing in all her glory at the door. He hadn't even heard her come in...

She gave a tight-lipped smile to her faithful servant and laid a hand on his chest. Kureno placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, whispering something into her ear. If anyone outside of the Sohma family would have seen this exchange, they would have immediately assumed this was a pair of lovers sharing a private, loving moment.

Yuki knew better.

Akito's hand was placed precisely over the scar she had given Kureno when she burned him with a hot poker she pulled from the fireplace during a New Year's banquet. The man had simply helped dab up some water he had accidentally spilled down the front of Rin's dress, but Akito would have none of it. She saw Kureno as property - _her_ property - and her touch was to remind him of his place.

Her cold black eyes reminded Yuki much of the marble as Akito's gaze slid to him on the floor. "Are you trying to seduce my Reno, filth?" Yuki shook his head, but she continued, "You and your nakedness. Trying to give him an open invitation?" She scoffed deep in her throat, a noise she usually reserved for outings when she was strictly seen as male.

Yuki glanced away, not even thinking of reminding her that she was the one who stripped him, burned his clothes, and refused to give him a new set until the day he left.

She was smart, that god. She always got him the best clothes the Sohma money could buy. He went home and was the envy of Shigure and Kyo as they coveted his new "presents" from the Main House. He was seen as arrogant because those clothes were stuffed to the back of his closet and never worn again. The cat threatened to cut holes into all of the expensive sweaters and jackets Akito had purchased, and Yuki only wished Kyo had kept his promise. It would give him an excuse to rid himself of those unwanted riches.

The sharp voice rang out in the small room again, "Leave us, Kureno." He nodded, never going against her word. Kureno didn't even glance back at the exposed boy, possibly knowing that his uninvited touch would only cost Yuki more of his tender flesh.

The door closed with a finality that shook Yuki to his core. Once again, he was alone with the one person who terrified and fascinated him more than anyone else in the world.

From the time of his birth, Akito's eyes had captivated the boy. They were haunted and, at times, soulless. The only time there was ever a spark of life shining out from Akito's face was in the middle of some painful torture she made Yuki endure. Those sparks and flashes were somehow uplifting for the boy in a way he couldn't explain, but the method used to find that life was slowly driving him mad.

Perhaps it was the curse that caused him to crave those glimpses into Akito's soul, or it was a masochistic madness that drove him to this end over and over.

A cold hand threaded through Yuki's matted hair, strangely tender compared to the god's usual touch. Akito was always demanding, harsh. Her kisses and caresses were searing and painful, never soft and thoughtful. The boy chanced a glance up at her face. Those black eyes were hooded, sensual. She rarely gave him that look anymore.

Ever since the Sohma family had become more known throughout Japan's financial district, Akito had been forced to act the male role more and more. Because of that, she was rarely in such a sexual and intimate mood. The manliness of her life seemed to drive that out of her.

Those small, almost delicate fingers gently tugged Yuki's hair back to turn his face fully up to her. "You know, pet, I've been thinking of something. Something that would make me very happy. It's something that might even make the rest of our family happy. Do you want to know what it is?"

She didn't give him a chance to answer as she pushed him to lie back on the hard floor again and straddled his waist. Yuki could immediately tell she wasn't wearing anything under that black silk robe, and a worried feeling started swirling around in his belly. She never bared herself to anyone - not even during sex. She kept as much clothes on as she could, self-conscious about her womanly curves.

Never would the Akito Yuki grew up with dress herself so scantily.

His fear rose even higher, yet nothing showed on his face.

The god smiled down at him too sweetly and withdrew a tiny dagger she had hidden in the sash of the robe. The blade curved ever so slightly at the end and caught the fading sunset just perfectly.

Yuki had never seen a more beautiful or terrifying sight.

The pure joy and excitement in her eyes made his heart leap and betray his fearful mind. The dagger sent chills more powerful than those caused by the permanent cold in his cell racing down his spine.

Akito's tool was placed just over Yuki's heart as she continued to tell him her plan. The soft lilt of her voice could have been used to tell a child's bedtime story.

"I'm going to become a man, Yuki. I'm going to finally be as my parent's desired. All of the Zodiac will have the leader they always wanted." Those onyx eyes blazed with passion. "I'm going to be a real man." The boy's confusion must have flashed across his face, because he was met with an unhappy scowl.

How could she become a man?

To the outside world, beyond the Sohma gates, Akito was already a man. Only Shigure, Hatori, Ayame, and Kureno knew of her true sex. And, of course, Yuki. Shigure and Ayame were reluctantly told about it as children because they were forced to feed and change her diapers when Ren was busy with the estate and her husband. Hatori had to know because he was her doctor.

Yuki knew... because he was damned. There was no better reason than that.

So it didn't make sense that she would "become" a man. That would involve surgeries, outside hospitals, release papers, and more. It would mean Akito needed to admit to at least some people on the outside that she was, in fact, female. The god would never do such a thing; it could ruin the reputation she had painstakingly built up for years among the wealthy men of Japan.

What did she mean?

The curved point of the blade pricked the pale skin above Yuki's left nipple and a small bead of blood swelled up to the surface.

"I can do it. But I need your help." Akito continued to pet Yuki's hair with one hand, while tracing her fingers in the little bit of blood on his chest. "You see, I'm going to have to hurt you."

Icy fingers of fear clenched the boy's heart, and he swore his nervous gulp echoed in the tiled room. He didn't understand... Was Akito the one truly going mad? Or was he?

Her laugh was light and carefree. "While you're pathetic and weak, your body is perfect. Haven't you ever noticed?" Akito now used both hands to rub almost forcefully over his torso as if to _make_ him see what she was seeing. "Lean and muscled, yet soft and beautiful. People would die to be able to crawl into your skin and become you." Again, that terrifying gleam in her eyes glowed through the blackness of his prison.

"And I will do just that."

With one long slice, Akito ripped open Yuki's chest with her knife. Out of shock and pure instinct, he jumped and screamed, bucking Akito off in the process. He receded to the far corner of the hovel, shaking and sobbing. He frantically tried to stop the blood from flowing down his chest at an alarming rate but to no avail.

Akito snarled in frustration and stood up. The robe had fallen askew, draped over one shoulder. "What are you doing? I need that body! I need it! You must give it to me!"

Years of tolerating and even welcoming her abuse meant nothing to Yuki now. He begged and cried for her to stop, to listen. He held up bloody hands to keep her at bay while slumping tiredly against the cold wall. If she really intended to skin him, she could do it.

He was far too weak to stop it.

Fat tears slid down from Akito's bright eyes as she continued to scream at her captive. "Don't you understand? Can't you see? This is the only way! This is the only way they will love me!" She approached him with her knife held high, but it shook from the force of her own sobs. "Can't you do this one thing for me? Can't you let someone _love_ me? How will they love me if I... I am this... this hideous _woman_?" With that, the god tore off her silk robe and it fluttered to the floor. She stood there, naked and vulnerable for the first time to Yuki. Akito was trembling and screaming her pain at him; it was almost enough for the curse to make him believe he should want to give his life and body for her dreams.

Hoarse breathing filled the air. Neither of them knew what to say or do, both lost in their fears and desires.

Yuki needed his god to be happy. It was a constant burning hunger in the pit of his stomach to do something, _anything_ for her. Those tears stung more than the deep cut still bleeding on his chest. Yet the fear for his life held him frozen in place, curled up in the corner.

Akito needed love and acceptance - something that had never been freely given to the god. Even her cousins had been forced into feeding, changing, and taking care of her as a baby. Later, she was told that she had to be a man in this world; her body was a mistake. Her own Sohma curse. She coveted Yuki's perfect body. The beauty of it had captivated her for years, and she hated him for it. She feared his liquid silver eyes and the heat they caused to rise up through her body until she almost blushed in his presence. If she was in control of that body, it wouldn't affect her that way. And she would be a real man.

She stalked toward him, tears still in her eyes. An eerie whisper drifted to him in an almost calming voice. "I need to do it, Yuki."

He swallowed bile, fighting down the urge to continue screaming. He watched her kneel down on the ground in front of him. Her pale white knees were already soaked with his blood. A small, delicate hand reached out and cupped his cheek. Akito whispered and cooed to the boy, and he watched, transfixed by the softness he saw in her eyes for the first time. Never once had he thought she would turn such a loving look in his direction.

With one final thought for survival, Yuki pulled Akito into his arms and held her as tight as he could. The boy buried his face in her neck, crying silently. He could feel her body shaking with his.

A gasp of surprise broke the silence, then she froze.

It took a long time for Akito to finally cling to him, curling up into a little ball against his bloody chest. She sobbed and screeched, all the while threatening that she would skin him alive to be the man she needed to be. The god seemed to have forgotten that she dropped the knife and merely beat on Yuki's arms and legs until he almost couldn't stand it anymore. It was only then that she quieted a degree and listened to him cry softly into her neck and rock their naked bodies gently.

Finally, their breaths evened out and tears dried up. The couple sat in silence, still clinging to each other as if they would die if broken apart.

It was Akito that spoke first.

"Why can't I do it? Why... can't I kill you? You mean nothing compared to me." Yuki only nodded in response. Everyone in the Zodiac knew it. They all were nothing without her.

Akito tilted his cheek up with her bloody hand and stared deep into his red-rimmed eyes. "You should mean _nothing_ to me." He simply stared at her, waiting for her final decision. No one would fight her or tell her it was wrong... He was fully prepared to take the knife and plunge it into his own heart at this point.

The pain reflected in her eyes was too much for his cursed side to bear.

With a sigh, she released his face. "I don't know what I am, Yuki. I know what I'm meant to be and what I'm supposed to be, but..." He watched as a single tear slid over that alabaster skin. Without thinking, he kissed it away and rested his forehead against hers.

Akito shut her eyes against the tender touch, unsure of how to cope with it. She received pain and gave pain. That was all.

"I will forever be cursed to live out my life as a female. It is my cross to bear and my burden to shoulder."

Those long, pale legs lifted Akito's body out of Yuki's lap and she glanced down at his blood-soaked body for a brief moment.

"And you are cursed to be by my side through all of it."

Akito wrapped herself up in the ripped robe, striding out into the moonlight before slamming the door shut behind her. The sound of her key locking the door resonated within Yuki's soul.

One more day.

He had one more day in her clutches, and then life could continue normally.

That is, until the next time Akito desired his presence and possibly his life.

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**A/N**: Reviews are always welcome! ^_^ Thank you for taking the time to read!


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